Change
by ABprongslett
Summary: How did Lily finally admit to James that she liked him? Set in the Marauders' 7th year. my first fic! R&R please ;)
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: my first fanfic! Constructive flames only please! **

Lily Evans- Head Girl, brightest witch of her age (also the prettiest), secretly admired by all her (male and female) classmates, Lovely Lily- was seated in her Transfiguration class one day when she realized with a jolt that she hadn't been paying the slightest attention to Professor McGonagall, who was, Lily had to admit, boring the whole class with a lecture on how to attempt their NEWTs without suffering from a nervous breakdown or worse, failing. Then Lily realized with a bigger jolt, what, or actually _who _she had been daydreaming about.

James Harold Potter.

James Potter, previously her arch enemy, not-so-secret admirer, bane of her existence. Currently Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, responsible, helpful, sweet, kind, practical, humorous, handsome…..

Wait, did she just think _handsome?_ Did Lily Evans just call James Potter _handsome? _So what if she did so in her head? She just admitted to herself that she kind of, sort of, maybe, in a way, LIKED Potter. And he was a good friend. He was loyal too. Lily had to admit she knew that since third year when she found out about his, Sirius' and Peter's animagi transformation to help poor Remus and secretly appreciated their actions.

Not that she would ever admit it.

Suddenly her classmates began moving out of the classroom and it dawned upon Lily that she had successfully spent a whole hour thinking about James…er….I mean…Potter.

"Miss Evans, a word please" Professor McGonagall said. "And you too Mr. Potter"

After the whole class had emptied except for the three Gryffindors, McGonagall said "Miss Potter and Miss Evans, the Headmaster has asked to meet you both this evening around half an hour after your classes end. I expect it is concerning the festivities he has planned for Christmas Eve."

"What about it, Professor?" James asked.

"He will tell you himself. By the way, I hope the preparations are going well?"

"Er… you see Professor…" Lily began nervously.

"We have it all planned out, Professor. We'll begin work this evening." James cut in smoothly.

"Very well. You may go now. Oh, and the Headmaster also asked me to tell you that he has a fancy for Lemon Drops these days."

"Ohkay then. Thank you Professor" James said as they walked out.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Lily began to laugh.

"I can't believe you just made me lie to a professor that way!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, come on. Live a little Evans. It won't hurt Minnie to not know we haven't even thought of that goddamn feast yet. We'll work something out eventually." he said, grinning.

Lily smiled and shook her head.

"Alright then, I'll see you in half an hour at the Fat Lady's portrait." Lily said and made to walk off.

"Lily, wait!" he called out urgently and caught her arm.

Lily turned around to ask him what the matter was but was rendered speechless when she noticed how close he had come to her. She gulped and unconsciously moved closer. James' eyes widened and he began breathing faster, as did Lily. They just stood there, noses almost touching, James' hand on her arm.

"Lily…" he whispered and began leaning in when…..

"PRONGSIE!" Sirius yelled as he barreled down the corridor, Remus and Peter hot on his pursuit. "SAVE MEEEEEE!"

James and Lily jumped away from each other. Blushing, they turned towards the trio rapidly approaching them.

"Prongsie, save me!" Sirius yelled again and tried to hide behind the Head Boy.

"What is it this time, Pads?" James asked with a sigh as Lily looked on with an amused expression and Peter tried to catch his breath.

"James, Sirius stole my History of Magic notes AGAIN!" Remus said, annoyed.

"Prongsie, what do you expect me to do? I wanted to pull a prank on the Slytherins and Moony was _studying_! So I stole his notes." Sirius shrugged as if it solved everything.

"You're just jealous that I'm going to pass this year and you're not" Remus shot back.

"Um, James, I'll meet you at the Common Room, ok?" Lily cut in and began walking off again.

"Lily, I…" James felt lost.

Lily gave him a reassuring smile and left.

**A/n: I had originally intended this to be a one-shot, but I changed my mind :P **

**Read and review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: ok chapter 2!**

**1000000 virtual *insert cookies and chocolates of your choice* to Sweetlilyeverdeen for being my 1****st**** follower... 3 ya!**

**But don't I deserve even a SINGLE review? :'(**

Half an hour later, Lily settled down in a comfortable armchair close to the fire-she was shivering from the early December cold- and prepared to take a nap. She had no doubt that James would be late, held up as he was by his fellow Marauders. She had just closed her eyes when she heard someone running towards her. She paid no heed to it as she was sure it couldn't be James. Suddenly, the same someone began blowing in her ear.

"AAAARRGGHH!" Lily jumped up and began yelling profanities. When she saw who the offender had been, she again began, "JAMES BLOODY POTTER, JUST WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF?"

"Well, Lilykins, you were asleep and I seem to distinctly remember that we have an appointment with the Headmaster. And I also remember you telling me to 'never ever ever' touch you. Ever." He said, grinning.

"Hmph. Then I take it back. The next time you want to wake me up, you can shake me-gently of course." She replied grumpily. "And what are you doing here anyway? I thought you would be kept busy with your friends."

"Nah. I told them to shut it and not behave like immature first years."

Lily raised her eyebrows and decided to not comment on his constant change of behaviour.

"Hmm. In that case we can get going then. Wonder what Professor Dumbledore has to say to us that's so important he can't send a message through Professor McGonagall" she said, stretching.

James and Lily walked to the Headmaster's office, their now-usual friendly banter gone as they remembered what had almost happened barely half an hour ago outside the Transfiguration classroom. Their hands occasionally brushed and Lily impulsively grabbed James' hand. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that James' jaw dropped and he tightened his grip around her hand. **(Cliché I know) **

When they reached Dumbledore's office (password Lemon Drops), he was in his chair and watching the door as if he was expecting someone. Which he probably was. When they came in he welcomed them with twinkling eyes and a wide grin.

"Ah, Lily and James. Please have a seat. I called you here to give you some very specific instructions. As you know, not many students are leaving the school for their holidays this Christmas which is why I felt we must celebrate Christmas in an even grander manner. I have allotted duties to all your professors to train students for various entertainment programs and Hagrid, along with you of course, was in charge of the decoration of the Great Hall. Now, I have made a small change in the plans. The other Prefects from 7th year will be helping Hagrid in the decoration and you both will be address the students."

"Huh?" was James' smart reply.

"You mean….a speech?" asked Lily.

"Yes, Lily, a speech. You must both speak to the students concerning anything you feel is appropriate. I am leaving the topic of your speech for you to decide and judge. You may consult each other or any of your professors if you feel the need to."

"But sir—"James seemed to regain his composure.

"Ah, one more thing," Dumbledore cut in," I called you both here to personally give you these instructions so that you could not give any excuses. The people you are addressing are, after all, your classmates and friends. Now then, no arguments. Off you go." He smiled and waved his hand in dismissal.

Speechless (pardon the pun), James and Lily walked out of Dumbledore's office and to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Well, at least we don't have to decorate the Great Hall now," said Lily, still in a daze. James looked at her with raised eyebrows and both of them burst out laughing.

"Why….are we….laughing?" asked James between chuckles.

"Because now we don't have to do the work we were pretending to do" Lily replied, giggling.

It was then that they noticed how close together they had come and their laughter began to die. They were coming closer when…..

"Did I miss something or was that not funny in the least way?" Sirius said.

"I'm guessing it was the latter, Pads," said Remus wryly.

Lily and James groaned and moved away from each other. "Not again guys!" James exclaimed.

"We were doing you a favor Prongsie. Don't you and Lily-flower have a speech to write?" Sirius asked.

"Alright, first-don't call me Prongsie. And second, don't call her 'Lily-flower'. Only I can do that," James said, earning a smack on the head for the second.

"And third, how did you know about the speech?"

"I have my ways," said Sirius smugly.

"You stole my Cloak, didn't you?"

Sirius pouted and said, "Whatever. At least I'm not the one who has to give a speech, _Professor_ Potter" and stuck his tongue out at James, who just sighed.

**A/n: I'm going to stop here for now. I'll update as soon as I have five reviews….**

**The next chapter is probably the last or next to last one. Give me an incentive to write guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: presenting…CHAPTER THREE! Also the last chapter.**

**HappilyBlue: I'm sooooo sorry I couldn't update yesterday like I promised…. Some personal commitments came up and I couldn't find the time to write **

**This chapter is dedicated to Sweetlilyeverdeen, Loyal untill the end and HappilyBlue for following/fovoriting (is that a word?)/reviewing Change. I love you guys! **

**Also dedicated to my best friend for encouraging me and eagerly listening when I told her the plotline of Change…. You're the best!**

On Christmas Eve

James and Lily sat nervously side by side at the Gryffindor table. The Headmaster had informed them through owl the previous day that their speeches would be at the end of the program. The last item, a demonstration of Indian Classical Dance by Varshini Patil had just ended to the accompaniment of loud applause and cheers, especially from the Gryffindor side.

Dumbledore stood up and said, "After that wonderful performance by Miss. Patil, ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to call upon our beloved Head Boy and Girl to address the assembly. Shall we start with you, Mr. Potter?"

James nodded and stood up. Lily flashed him a smile and began applauding with the rest of the school. James jogged to the podium where the teachers previously used to sit. Their table had been temporarily shifted to the floor of the Hall and turned so they too could see the items on display.

James amplified his voice to make himself heard above the cheers, which were dominated and led by the Gryffindor table, or more particularly, the Marauders.

"Good evening," he said with a grin. The cheers grew for a few seconds before finally dying down.

"We all know what has been going on in the world of late. People are being tortured, killed and worse, frightened into following what they would in another situation never have followed. They are being categorized for something that is not in their hands to decide. Parentage, family, blood and so on. But I say there come some occasions when we must put aside all such things. Tonight is such a night. Mingle, talk, sing, dance and push away all your internal boundaries.

Also, during your everyday life, you may keep in mind what atrocities are in progress everywhere, but that doesn't mean you forget to enjoy your life. Get out there, have fun, spill your guts out to your best mate, stalk the girl you like, hell, maybe even pull a few pranks. Be, in other words, yourself. It's never too early or too late to live your life.

And here I would like to refer to the Sorting Hat's message this year: we must stay together. No matter which house, family or bloodline we belong to, we must, as fellow humans, stick together and fight for our peace. Our right.

And on that note, I'm gonna put your misery to an end by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you and GOODNIGHT HOGWARTS!"

There was an astonished silence before the whole school erupted with cheers and cries of "POTTER, POTTER, POTTER" resonated against the walls.

Lily felt something wet on her cheek and realized that a tear had slipped out without her notice and that she was grinning like a crazy person. She had finally made up her mind.

The applause continued for a solid ten minutes before Dumbledore cleared his throat and asked for silence.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, for those inspiring words. Now it is time for our Head Girl, Lily Evans, to prove that she is no lesser than her male counterpart."

Lily received a similar response as James had. She may not be a Marauder, but Lily definitely was one of the most popular girls in the school. _The_ most popular, in fact. Her kind, sincere, helpful yet humorous nature endeared her to all the students (who cares about Slytherins?).

Lily stood up in her place and confidently waved at the school. After amplifying her voice, she said, "I hope you don't mind Headmaster, but I would prefer to speak from here." After receiving a gracious nod from Dumbledore, she continued, "Good evening everyone. James just said, _be yourself. _You don't have to change your values, principles, behaviour, thoughts and personality for someone who wants to impose themselves on you. You must live for the happiness of yourself and your loved ones.

But change is not necessarily an unwanted thing. Isn't it good if a Death Eater _changes_ into an informer for the Ministry? If Voldemort _changes _into a Human Rights supporter? Or, on a more fathomable note, a failing student _changes _into a straight-O student?

_Change _your prejudiced thoughts. _Change_ your uncaring behaviour. _Change_ your selfish feelings. _Change_ yourself into a better person.

You may have heard a famous quote. I don't remember the exact words, but it goes along the lines of, "if you want to change the world, first change yourself". And here comes the most difficult part. For me, at least. Because, if I want you to follow my advice, I've got to set an example, don't I? So I'll do it."

Lily changed her voice back and took a deep breath as the school waited curiously to see what she was up to. She sat in her seat beside James, who was looking at her, somewhat wary. She took another deep breath, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.

**A/n: sooooo, what do you think? Too short? Too philosophical? Too abrupt? Too boring?**

**Should I write an epilogue? Or should I just shut up? :P**

**This was my first fic guys! I'm dying from the suspense! Have a heart! REVIEW!**

**P.s: I made James' and Lily's speeches short so I don't bore you guys (or the Hogwarts students)-too much XP**


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